In Conclusion; A Strong Front

By Daniel McGroarty

Published: September 2, 2004

Tonight, at the Republican National Convention in New York, George W. Bush will step onto the podium and accept his party's nomination for president. Though conventions themselves have receded in importance, the acceptance speech has remained potent, offering the candidate -- even one who has been in the public eye for four years -- the chance to define himself. So what should the president say? The Op-Ed page asked speechwriters from six Republican administrations, including the current one, to propose a conclusion to President Bush's address -- one that sums up what they think the winning Republican campaign themes for 2004 should be.

I began tonight sharing with you the policies we've put in place to restore health to the American economy and hope to the American heart. I want to close tonight by speaking about the first and most fundamental of all the tasks of government: to provide for the common defense.

We meet tonight a nation at war -- locked in conflict with a shadowy enemy whose hatred for humanity knows no bounds. On a clear September morning, this enemy struck us without warning, hoping to shake our spirit. Instead, the world saw the American character summoned into action -- in the streets of Manhattan, in the halls of the Pentagon, over the skies of Pennsylvania and, tonight, in the mountains of Afghanistan and in the sands of Iraq. All these acts of courage help us to see with clarity the values that matter -- and to understand the importance of defending those values for all Americans, now and for generations to come.

My opponent sees the world with different eyes. He prides himself in seeing a world of complexities. He pledges a ''more sensitive war on terror.''

I think back to the statement the terrorists released to claim responsibility for the carnage visited upon the innocents in Madrid: ''You love life,'' the message said. ''And we love death.''

My fellow Americans, there is nothing complex about this threat we face -- and nothing sensitive about the strategy necessary to defeat those who would destroy America and all it stands for.

And yet one month ago in Boston, my opponent promised, ''Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response.''

I'm sorry, Senator -- this time, it's just not that simple. The lesson of Sept. 11 is that we can't wait for an attack, and then mount a response. Tactically, our challenge is more complex than that. We must use every tool at our disposal to prevent terror from taking place -- to track the terrorists down, and take the fight to America's enemies.

So tonight I say to the young men and women in uniform half a world away putting service above self, and country above all; to all Americans, who seek only the chance to enjoy our God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness: I will never lose sight of the values we cherish. I will always act with America's best interests at heart. And I will discharge to the best of my ability the first duty of government -- to keep our people safe and secure. So help me God.